Mail canceling and postmarking machine.



Patented Dec. ll, I900. W. R. LANDFEAB.

MAIL CANCELING AND POSTMARKING MACHINE.

(Application filed Aug. 8, 1898.)

(No Model.)

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NlTE Starts FCED WILLIAM R. LANDFEAR, OF NEWV YORK, N. Y,., ASSIGNOR TO THE HAMPDEN OANCELLING MACHINE COMPANY, OF .HOLYOKE, MASSACHUSETTS.

MAN. CANCELING AND POSTMARKING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 663,446, dated December 1 1, 1900.

Application filed August 3,1898. Serial No. 687,592. tNo model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM R. LANDFEAR, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of New York, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Mail Canceling and Postmarking Machines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to an improvement in mail canceling and postmarking machines, with the object in view of simplifying and improving the mechanism for determining the minute, hour, day, and month to be printed on the mail which is canceled and postmarked by the machine.

The present embodiment of my invention is adapted to use in connection with a mail canceling and postmarking machine of the type shown, described, and claimed in Letters Patent No. 487,278, granted to me on the 6th day of December, 1892, and I have shown in connection with my present improvement only so m uch of the said machine as will suf ties for a clear understanding of its practical use in connection wit-h a machine of that type.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a view of the machine in front elevation. Fig. 2 is an enlarged partial view of the cancelingdrum and parts immediately connected therewith in side elevation in detail. Fig. 3 is atransverse section through the said drum in the plane of the line 3 3 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4: is a view in detail of the group of disks carrying the number and characters indicating the minute, hour, day, and month; and Fig. 5is a diagrammatical view representing the peripheries of the several disks spread in a plane.

The supporting-frame A, adapted to be screwed to the under side of a table or other suitable support provided with a flange,which, together with the front-plate B, forms the hopper, and the operating-shaft 0, its driv-.

ing-pulley E, the inking-rollers K, and the stops H and I are constructed and arranged to operate in a manner quite similar to that shown, described, and claimed in Letters Patent No. 487,278, hereinabove referred to, my present improvement being directed to mechanism immediately connected with the canceling-drum.

The rim of the canceling-drum is denoted by D, its hub by d, and the annular spurgear, which intermeshes a corresponding gear on the impression-roller (not shown) is denoted by d.

Between the hub (Z and the rim D of the canceling-drum I locate a series of disks, in the present instance six, denoted by F, F, F

F F and F mounted to rotate independ- 6o ently of one another and in a plane transverse to the plane in which the cancelingdrum itself rotates. I find itconvenient to mount these disks on an axle-pin G, which may be inserted by tapping a hole in the rim D in a direction at right angles to one of the radii of the drum and cutting a segment of such depth as will bring the peripheries of the disks F F, 850., slightly exterior to the periphery of the rim D when the said disks are mounted upon the pin G, inserted in the perforations so tapped.

l find it convenient in practice to articulate the rims of the several disks F F, 650., forming projecting teeth or lugs f(see Fig.3) at intervals along their peripheries, and on the outer faces of these teeth or lugs I form the figures or characters which are intended to do the printing on the mail to be canceled.

I further make the several disks F F, &c., of varying diameters corresponding to the curve of the rim D of the canceling-drum, so that the teeth on each of the disks shall project some distance beyond the periphery of the rim D when they reach the center or printing position with respect to the said rim.

The several disks are held in their difierent rotary adjustments by means of springarms, denoted by L, which may be conveniently formed by slitting a plate of spring metal from one end to points near the opposite end, as clearly shown in Fig. 2, and then securing the plate by screws Zto the hub 01 of the canceling-drum in position to have the spring-arms L pressed against the periphery of the disks F F, 850., each of the springarms L being provided with a nose Z, fitted to enter between two successive teeth or lugs fon the face of the disk to hold the disk securely in its adjustment. When it is de- I00 sired to move any one or more of the disks F F, the spring-arm which holds it in its poused to denote the day of the month.

sition is drawn back far enough to free the nose Z from the disk, and the disk is then turned either by the fingers or by a pointed instrument a distance of one or more teeth to bring the proper character or figure into print ing position.

In my present arrangement the disk F is provided on the faces of three consecutive teeth or lugs with the characters A. M., P. M., and M., respectively. The disk F is provided on the faces of eleven consecutive teeth with numerals denoting five, ten, fifteen, and so on at intervals of five up to fifty-five. These indicate five-minute intervals between two consecutive hours. The disk F is provided on the faces of its twelve teeth with the consecutive numbers l to 12, inclusive, representing hours. The faces of ten consecutive teeth on the disk F are provided with the numerals l to 9, inclusive, and 0. The faces of three consecutive teeth on the disk F contain the numerals l to 3, inclusive. and these, to-,

gether with the numerals on the disk F are The faces of the twelve teeth on the disk F contain abbreviations for the twelve months of the year.

In the detail View, Fig. 4, the disks are so arranged that the uppermost line of teeth, which may be assumed as the line for printing, Will read Jan. 1, 12.5 A. M., and the arrangement shown in Fig. 1 is such that the line of teeth in printing position reads Feb. 23, 1.20 P. M.

In use the operator will simply change the minute-wheel at intervals of five minutes throughout the hour, then change the hourdisk one step and repeat the changing of the minute-disk at intervals of five minutes, and so on until the twelve hours have been completed; then a repetition of the twelve to com plete the day, changing the A. M. and P.

M. disks to correspond; then change the disk or disks to indicate the next day of the month, and finally, when the month has been completed, changing the disk denoting the several months to indicate the succeeding month.

The year is inserted on the face of a removable die, as shown at M, Fig. l, in prox imity to the opening (I in the face of the canceling-drum,through which the printing-disks operate, and the name of the town or city is in like manner inserted in a removable die, as at M, in the face of the eancelingwheel in proximity to the opposite end of the opening (1*, through which the printing-disks operate.

The structure is such that there is no liability of the printing parts getting out of position or out of order, and the change in their relative positions may be effected in a simple and sure manner, relieving the mechanism from complications and making its manipulation by the most unskilled operator easy.

\Vhat I claim is The combination with a canceling-drum and means for rotating it, of a plurality of typebearing wheels mounted on an axle transverse to the axis of the drum, the said wheels being capable of independent rotary adjustments, and manually-controlled means for holding the wheels in their several adjustments relatively to each other comprising a plate of spring metal secured to the canceling-drum, the said plate being slit to form a plurality of spring-arms each spring-arm being arranged to engage one of the type-bearing Wheels, su bstantially as set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as.

my invention I have signed my name, in presence of two witnesses, this 8th day of July, 1898.

WILLIAM R. LANDFEAR. Witnesses:

FREDK. HAYNES, EDWARD VIESER. 

